E-Newsletter

Do You Really Need the Rock-climbing Wall?

6/4/2005
— By Erik Torkells

The "serial entrepreneur" who started European low-fare airline EasyJet wants to reinvent the cruise business

This spring marks the first voyage of EasyCruise, the new cruise line by Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the "serial entrepreneur" who started European low-fare airline EasyJet (and 14 other EasyCompanies, including EasyPizza and EasyCinema). Simply put, Stelios--the industry knows him by his first name--wants to reinvent the cruise business.

Originally built for the defunct Renaissance cruise line, the ship will be hop-on/hop-off, with its 86 cabins booked in two-night blocks, not for particular voyages. The atmosphere is very bare bones, with none of the razzle-dazzle that has become the norm. The cabins have the same feel as at the upcoming EasyHotel in London--they're an efficient 90 square feet, with a double bed, shower area, sink, and lavatory. There's housekeeping service, but only if you're willing to pay a surcharge. Conspicuously missing are the extras found on traditional ships--casinos, rock-climbing walls, floor shows--although there will be a pay-by-the-meal café, sports bar, and tapas bar.

Instead of emphasizing the shipboard experience, Stelios is making the ports the main attraction. It's part of his strategy to attract a younger demographic--commitmentphobes in their 20s and 30s who might be leery of a weeklong cruise. Sailing will happen in the early morning for six hours or less, so that the passengers can go on land, have a night of fun, then sleep it off in their cabins.

Over lunch recently, I told Stelios it sounded like a party boat, and that I hoped the walls were thick. If not, maybe EasyCruise should give earplugs as a turndown service instead of mints. He laughed. "They could be orange!" he said. (As the photos show, orange is the trademark EasyColor.)

Nightly rates begin at $55 per person; the earlier you book, the lower the rate. The ship is on its way to the Mediterranean from Singapore, where it was refitted, and will arrive in late April to spend the summer bopping around such chic destinations as Nice, Saint-Tropez, and Monte Carlo. For info, see easycruise.com.

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